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JONES
,
THOMAS
(
1742
-
1803
),
landscape painter
.

Born
26 Sept. 1742
, second son of
Thomas
and
HannahJones
of
Trevonen
in
Cefnllys, Rads.
His parents moved to
Pencerrig
in
Llanelwedd
near
Builth
, which still remains the property of the family. He entered
Christ College School
at
Brecon
in
1753
and there first developed an interest in pictures and in
drawing
. He moved in
1758
to the school at
Llanfyllin, Mont.
, kept by
JenkinJenkins
, and proceeded thence to
Jesus College
,
Oxford
, where
he matriculated
11 July 1759
. It was intended that he should take holy orders, but on the death of
JohnHope
, his mother's uncle, in
1761
, he left
Oxford
and devoted himself to
painting
.

He entered
WilliamShipley
's drawing school in the
Strand
,
London
, then directed by
HenryPars
, in
Nov. 1761
, and in
March 1763
he became
RichardWilson
's pupil, agreeing to pay
Wilson
fifty guineas for two years’ tuition. He was awarded premiums by the
Society of Arts
for
figure drawing
in
1764
and for
landscape painting
in
1767
and
1768
, and was elected a member of the
Incorporated Society of Artists
in
1766
.

For the following ten years
ThomasJones
devoted himself to
landscape painting
in
Wales
and in
London
and other parts of
England
. His friends included
Garrick
,
EvanLloyd
(
1734
-
1776
)
,
Farington
, and
FrancisWheatley
. He left for
Italy
in
1766
and settled in
Rome
, moving to
Naples
in
1780
. His circle of friends in
Italy
included
Towne
,
JohnSmith
,
EdwardPars
, and
Day
, and he carried out a large number of commissions there.

He returned to
England
in
1783
with his wife,
Maria
, and two daughters, and continued to paint, avowedly at times imitating
Wilson
and
Zuccarelli
. On the death of his elder brother in
1787
he succeeded to the estate at
Pencerrig
and finally left
London
in
1769
. He was elected
high sheriff of Radnorshire
in
1791
and a
magistrate
for the county in the following year.

ThomasJones
exhibited ten pictures at the
Royal Academybetween 1764 and 1798
and a large number at the
Society of Artists
’ exhibitions. Some of his work was engraved and examples of his paintings are to be found in public and private collections. Many are still owned by the family. He died at
Pencerrig
in
May 1803
.